Functional Vintage Home Office Changes and an Announcement

TAKE A TOUR OF A STYLISH AND FUNCTIONAL VINTAGE-DECORATED HOME OFFICE!

Back in August, I shared my new vintage modern home office. 

Earlier in the year, we moved my daughter's bedroom downstairs, which allowed me to turn her old bedroom into my new home office. 

I still end up working primarily from my $70 Facebook Marketplace leather RH chair, but having a designated office and additional space to display more of my favorite thrift, vintage, and antique finds has been really nice.

I had no plans of changing the current furniture and decor in my home office, but in December I decided to make a business change that required a few office tweaks. 

After five years of sanding, repairing, painting, staining, hauling, and staging, I decided to take a step back from having a vintage booth.  It wasn't an easy decision and there are many aspects of having a booth that I'll miss.  I met so many wonderful people, made great friends, and accomplished things I never thought I was capable of.   Ultimately, I felt it was time to take a step back and shift my focus to selling online.

You can find my online vintage shop by clicking on the "Shop The Store" tab on my blog. The first vintage drop will be on January 27th (THIS FRIDAY!) at 12:00pm EST. 

*Inventory won't be visible until the 27th, but you can follow me on Instagram for tons of sneak peeks! 

The change in my vintage business also meant changes to my office!  The previous setup was more for working and lounging than for a functional, efficient, and productive online vintage business.  

Over the past week, I moved my Eames-style chair back to the basement and then brought in a work table to make it easier to wrap, pack, label, and ship products efficiently.  I also needed to make sure inventory was safe, visible, and easily accessible, so I used some of my favorite items to decorate my office.  

I still need to build shelves in the closet, where I'll eventually keep most of my inventory.  For now, I have vintage inventory stored in and on the vintage wood card catalog, in a basket next to the card catalog, throughout my office, and in the garage. 

It's like having my very own vintage booth in my home! 

Resource: DIY Fluted File Cabinet Makeover

The other side of my office is where most of the changes happened. 

I love using vintage finds for both decorating and organizing, so it was a must that I find and use vintage and antique items to get my office organized and set up for packing and shipping.  

Previously, all my packing materials were stored in a large vintage canvas laundry tote in the basement.  I needed to move the supplies upstairs, but the laundry tote was a little too big for my office and I really loved how it looked under my 18 drawer oak card catalog.  That meant I had to find another vintage storage solution for my upstairs office. 

It was meant to be that later in the week I found and won a smaller vintage canvas laundry tote.  I bought it sight unseen and had no idea how big it was, but for $22.50 it was well worth the risk.

I was pleasantly surprised by its size when I went to pick it up and crossed my fingers it would fit under my work table. 

Spoiler alert.....it fit! 

Not only did it fit perfectly under the work table, but it was exactly what I was looking for. 

I loaded the tote with bubble wrap and heavy-weight packing material and then brought in an old metal crate to keep shipping boxes organized. 

On top of the table, I used an old metal advertising display to keep business cards, tape measure, string, scissors, tape, pens, and other packing and shipping necessities organized and easily accessible.  

(You know I don't do red, so I spray painted the packing tape dispenser black)

I absolutely love how my updated and organized vintage home office came together!  It has everything I need to be successful and is the perfect combination of stylish and functional!

     

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How to Get Organized With Vintage Finds

How to use vintage finds to organize your home in style. 

Forget organizing with basic plastic bins and canvas totes.  Vintage is the way to go! 

Decorating with vintage decor is a wonderful way to add history, character, interest, and a touch of uniqueness to your home.   It's also a fantastic way to get your home organized in style.  

I use vintage items all throughout my home, but today, I wanted to share how I use some of my favorite pieces for storage and organizing.  

From large oak card catalogs to small antique crocks, vintage and antique items are perfect for getting your home organized in style. 

What are the best vintage items to use for organizing? 

- Card catalogs

- Suitcases

- Lockers

- Canvas laundry totes

- Lidded jars and canisters

- Metal locker baskets

- Crocks 

- Metal milk crates 

- Wood boxes

WHERE TO SHOP FOR VINTAGE STORAGE ITEMS? 

- Antique shops and malls

- Vintage markets

- Auctions

- Flea markets

- Thrift Stores

- Yard sales 

- Church sales

- Estate sales

- Facebook Marketplace

- Etsy

- Ebay

- Upsclae curated online marketplaces (Chairish, 1st Dibs) 

- Vintage Keepers 

- Instagram 

how to get organized with vintage finds! 

1. CARD CATALOGS 

Antique card catalogs seem to be getting harder to find (at least affordable ones!), but if you're persistent in searching auctions and/or Facebook Marketplace you have a good chance of snagging one for a great price.  Even if you have to pay retail, they're definitely worth the splurge.

I have two card catalogs in my home (one in my office and one in the basement) and use them to store and organize small craft supplies, furniture hardware, and extra printer ink.  They're the perfect combination of stylish and practical. 

2. VINTAGE SUITCASES 

A stack of vintage suitcases is great for styling under a bench, entry, or console table and are perfect for storing extra linens, textiles, and off-season clothes.  You could even place a stack of vintage suitcases in an office or craft room and fill them with craft supplies. 

3. LOCKERS

I'm such a sucker for a good set of lockers.  I have two sets in my own home and often sell them in my vintage booth and at markets.  

The set in my mudroom is used to store riding gear, sweatshirts and winter hats, and gloves.  In the summer I swap out the winter items for beach towels, goggles, and pool toys.  The large locker set in the basement is used to organize board games, toys and extra craft supplies. 

4. CANVAS LAUNDRY TOTES

I have multiple vintage canvas laundry totes around my home and love using them for storage.  For years, I've used one to corral shoes by the mudroom door and it's been such a great storage solution.  I also use vintage laundry totes to store packing supplies and Owen's nerf gun collection.  Toys just look so much nicer when they're in a vintage storage bin.

Functional and Stylish Vintage Office Updates

5. VINTAGE JARS AND CANISTERS

Vintage jars and canisters with lids are perfect for bathroom and pantry organizing.  From storing and organizing bars of soap, cotton balls and q-tips to baking and cooking essentials.  Vintage clear canisters double as beautiful decor and storage. 

6. METAL LOCKER BASKETS 

A few years ago, I bought 30+ vintage metal locker baskets from Facebook Marketplace.  I sold most of them but kept about 8 to use throughout my home.  I primarily use them to organize snacks and food in the pantry, but they can be found all over my home. 

7. VINTAGE CROCKS AND PLANTERS

Small vintage crocks are so versitile.  I primarily use them as planters, but the smaller ones are ideal for organizing kitchen utensils and office/craft supplies.  

7. METAL MIlK CRATES 

Old metal milk crates are ideal to use for storage due to their durability and ability to be stacked.  They're also wonderful for doubling as decor and storing extra blankets and pillows.  

8. VINTAGE WOOD CRATES 

Just like metal milk crates, old wood crates are a fantastic vintage items to use for organizing.  They often have great graphics, beautiful dovetail joints and you can find them in various styles and sizes. Small vintage cheese boxes are ideal for desk and countertop organizing, while larger crates can be used to organize pantries and linen closets.  

Are you looking for more ways to incorporate vintage items into your home decor?  You can read more vintage decorating tips and ideas HERE. 

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Distressed Vintage-Inspired Wood Drawers

Learn how to beautifully age, distress and transform new wood drawers into perfectly distressed vintage-inspired storage. 

Happy Monday, Friends!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend.  I just got back from a week in Myrtle Beach and it was just what this girl needed.  Lots of sunshine, amazing food, relaxation and much needed time away from work and social media.

As much as I enjoyed the break, I was definitely ready to get home and back to work.  As soon as the car was unpacked, I started on a dresser makeover then gave new storage drawers a cool vintage-inspired makeover. 

I love green and I love vintage, so I combined the two to turn new wood drawers into beautifully aged vintage-inspired storage.  

SUPPLIES NEEDED TO AGE NEW WOOD

- Small storage drawers (I got mine free from a friend, but yard sales, thrift stores and flea markets are great secondhand sources)

- Paint (I used Shackteau Interiors Milk Paint in Village Green)

- Clear Wax 

- Old English (for dark woods) or Dark Antique Wax

- Paint Brush

- Multi-Purpose Cleaner

- Medium Grit Sandpaper

- Screwdriver

- Hardware (mini antique knobs, bronze label holders) 

- Tools For Distressing (hammer, multiple size screws, drill bit, etc.)

- Paper Towels 

I got these little storage drawers from a friend who was moving.  She offered them to me and as soon as I saw them I knew they would be perfect for an aged wood, vintage-inspired makeover. 

I started by removing the hardware but kept it aside to use later.  

Once I had a clean slate it was time to make these new wood drawers look old, aged and worn. 

How to make new wood look old

STEP ONE: Clean

Prepare the wood for painting by cleaning with a good cleaner. 

STEP TWO: Mix Paint

Milk paint is my favorite paint to use to achieve the perfect chippy look.   Milk paint will adhere to unfinished wood, but will typically resist some finishes, resulting in a beautiful chippy finish.  

True milk paint comes in a powdered form and needs to be mixed with water and then left to sit for about 10 minutes before using.   

STEP THREE:  beat up wood 

Beating up and damaging new wood is my favorite part of creating the look of old, damaged and aged wood.  Screws, drill bits, nail punches and hammers are great tools to use to create holes, knicks, dents and dings for the perfect aged look.

Simply lay the screws and drill bits down then hit them hard on top with a hammer to create nice long impressions.  Use the same tools to poke into the wood to create different random holes.  The hammer can then be used to make gashes, dings, dents and perfectly imperfect imperfections.

STEP FOUR: Paint

Apply two-three coats of milk paint to stained or unfinished wood.  I purposely did not sand my wood drawers before painting in hopes that the paint would resist and chip.  Milk paint can be very unpredictable though and in this case, the paint adhered to the wood and did not chip. 

If you want to ensure chipping, apply clear wax to your wood in the areas you want it to chip and resist.  

STEP FIVE: Sand

Once the paint is dry, lightly sand and distress with medium grit sandpaper. 

STEP SIX: Wax and Age

Seal the milk paint with clear wax then apply a light coat of dark antique wax or Old English.  The Old English will enhance the knicks and gashes and will give the paint a darker aged look.

In the picture below, the first 3 drawers were treated with Old English and you can see that it gives the green paint a darker and more worn look.

STEP SEVEN: Add hardware

Finish off your project by adding vintage or vintage-inspired hardware. 

Fortunately, the storage drawers I was updating had great hardware, so I reused the original hardware and then added additional mini antique knobs.

Helpful Resource: The Best Places to Buy Metal Label Holders and Pulls.

I couldn't be happier with how these little vintage-inspired storage drawers turned out.  From new and basic to perfectly worn and aged.  They would make a unique vintage-inspired addition to any office or craft room. 

For even more vintage-inspired storage inspiration, check out these fabulous faux apothecary cabinets and multi-drawer pieces! 

     

    

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